Review – The Cure for Dreaming

 Title: The Cure for Dreaming

 Author: Cat Winters

 2014 – YA -Historical/Speculative Fiction

 Rating: 4/5

The Story: Olivia Mead is headstrong, intelligent, and assertive – not at all the sort of young lady her father thinks she should be. After hearing how thoroughly hypnotist Henri Reverie was able to control his daughter at his show on the night of her birthday, Doctor Mead hires Henri to wipe out all the so-called foolish ideas in her head about women’s suffrage, college, and more – to help her accept the world as it truly is. Instead, Henri gives her the gift (or curse?) of being able to see the world as it truly is, which only adds more fuel to the fire. But with Henri’s sick sister, Olivia’s twisted father, and the political upheaval of the women’s suffrage movement, there may be more danger involved than anyone knows.

The Opening Line: The Metropolitan Theater simmered with the heat of more than a thousand bodies packed together in red velvet chairs.

What I Loved: Cat Winters stunned me with her debut YA novel In The Shadow of Blackbirds, and she is equally stunning here. The Cure for Dreaming called all my most passionately held beliefs to the surface as I rooted for Olivia and Henri to fight against the injustice of the world in which they live. I was furious at Olivia’s father for his pigheaded beliefs and outraged that there were women who didn’t want equal rights for themselves. This book gave me ALL the emotions.

What I Didn’t Love: Two words. Olivia’s father.

Final Thoughts: Just like In the Shadow of Blackbirds, The Cure for Dreaming was atmospheric, with just a touch of the supernatural. The overall grim setting was sprinkled with hope and passion, so it wasn’t a depressing read. But it did make me a whole lot of angry at the ignorance of the characters, so be prepared for that. Now, please excuse me while I go add her 2015 release, The Uninvited, to my TBR.